Gel pens use water-based ink that writes wonderfully but is prone to drying out. This means a refill that looks full might not write. What a waste, right? Not quite, but these pens can often be restarted.
Continue reading “How To Revive A Gel Pen That Has Ink But Isn’t Writing”
A popular change to make to a pen is to swap out the included ballpoint refill for a smooth-flowing gel one. Gel refills are quite popular these days because they write well, the ink looks great, and they are fun to use. Ballpoints have these uses of course, but if you are predominantly writing paper and don’t need the versatility of a ballpoint, gel can be the way to go.
So what are the best gel refills in the Parker-style G2 shape?
Continue reading “The Best Parker-style Gel Refills For Your Pen”
The Premec Jumbo Ballpoint is a refill made in Switzerland. It uses an oil-based ballpoint ink and is sold in two main body varieties: polypropylene and nickel-plated brass. These don’t only affect the looks of the refill, but also the capacity: the plastic version can hold up to 3500 meters of ink where the metal version can hold 5000 meters (in 0.7 mm, but 2000 m in 1.0 mm).
The Premec Jumbo Gel refill is a Swiss-made Parker-style G2 refill. It uses a vibrant, but watery ink that is slow to dry but looks excellent on paper. The pen has a very short writing distance — just 400 meters for the 0.7 mm version — but has many admirable qualities which Premec makes clear on its packaging. The ink is smooth and fun to use, but prone to smearing on any paper with any degree of ink resistance (like a Rhodia).